John Paul Farmer is the Director of Microsoft’s Technology & Civic Innovation group, based in New York City. In this role, he leads engagements with civic leaders and the grassroots community to drive meaningful change through the creative application of technology. Previously, John served as the Senior Advisor for Innovation in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Barack Obama, where he spearheaded the President’s innovation agenda and infused Lean Startup into the public sector. John co-founded and led the Presidential Innovation Fellows program, which attracts top innovators and entrepreneurs from the private sector for focused tours of duty in government, in order to make game-changing progress on projects of national importance in months, not years. Earlier in his career, he focused on healthcare and finance, co-founding new business units and taking them from zero to one. John also played professional baseball as a shortstop in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves minor league systems, compiling a .344 career batting average. He holds an MBA with honors from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University and an AB with honors from Harvard University.